Bihar’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls by the Election Commission of India (ECI) has drawn criticism from political parties, and rightly so. The enormity of the task, the short duration, and the strict criteria for verification could result in the wrongful exclusion of lakhs of voters. The ECI’s statement that only ordinary residents would qualify for inclusion in the electoral roll has raised concerns, particularly among Opposition parties. Critics argue that it would be difficult for migrant voters — an estimated 20% of Bihar’s voting population — to be present for verification during the window that ends on July 31, and creates a high probability that they could be struck off the rolls. The Representation of the People Act, 1950 states that “A person absenting himself temporarily from his place of ordinary residence shall not by reason thereof cease to be ordinarily resident therein”, and manuals on electoral rolls add that such people will be treated as ordinary residents as long as they possess the ability and intention to return. This means that there must be caution in removing the names of migrants, especially those who are away from their place of residence for a short period.
The issue becomes more complicated with long-term migrants. In Bihar’s case, there is a significant section of the voting-age population, especially males, migrating for work. This becomes evident when parsing voting data from the 2024 general election in the State, revealing a unique electoral dynamic. Bihar is a State where more women turned out to vote than men in absolute numbers (for every 1,000 men there were 1,017.5 women ), even though there were more registered male electors on the rolls (for every 1,000 men, there were only 917.5 women). This electoral dynamic was observed in Jharkhand, and to a lesser extent in Himachal Pradesh, but nowhere was the difference starker than in Bihar. There is good reason to believe that many of the absentee male electors were registered in their home constituencies in Bihar but were unable to return on polling day, drastically lowering the overall turnout rate for men. These electors were likely part of a large migrant cohort that included many longer-term migrants. The SIR must carefully parse such electors and ensure that only longer-term migrants are removed from the rolls — not an easy task. For longer-term migrants, meaningful representation requires their vote to be registered where they currently reside and work. Migrant workers are integral to the economic engines of several States, and their political voice should be more impactful in holding representatives accountable for their everyday challenges there, rather than in their native places. The ECI’s SIR must balance these principles. Ideally, such a process should take more time than the one month that the ECI has allocated for it.
Published – July 04, 2025 12:20 am IST